Wall-coverings



Feb. 21, 1967 M- sows-ram WALL-COVERINGS- Filed NOV. .27, 1964 FlglINVENTOR. MALCOLM GOLD$TEIN A TTORNE Y United States Patent 3,304,995WALL-COVERINGS Malcolm Goldstein, 45 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens, N.Y.11415 Filed Nov. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 414,303 3 Claims. (Cl. 160-327) Thepresent invention pertains to means for applying wall-coverings andmoldings to the walls of a room and the method of performing the same.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a means for easilyand quickly applying wall coverings and moldings to the walls of a room.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method forapplying wall-coverings and moldings to the walls of a room utilizingdouble-coated adhesive tape.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a means andmethod for connecting the end portions of a wall-covering to adecorative molding and positionally securing said decorative molding andsaid wallcovering to a wall.

It is a further object of the present invention to enable a homeowner orother nonprofessional having minimal dexterity to quickly and easilyattach a wall-covering and molding to the walls of a room withoutnecessitating the use of messy pastes and the like.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent when considered in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a wall-covering andmolding secured to a wall in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a partial sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a partial front view of a wall-covering sheet having an endportion thereof connected to an insertion rod.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the wall-covering sheet and insertion rodshown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a side view of a wall-covering sheet and insertion roddepicting another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 depicts a wall 10 having firstand second wall-covering sheets 12 and 14, respectively, attachedthereto. Moldings 16 and 18 are connected to the top end portions ofsaid sheets 12 and 14, respectively, and are secured to the wall 10immediately adjacent the ceiling 20, and moldings 22 and 24 areconnected to the bottom end portions of said sheets 12 and 14,respectively, and are secured to the wall 10 adjacent the floor 26; thelengths of the moldings being equal to the width of said sheets. Themanner in which the moldings are secured to the wall will be explainedin more detail hereinafter.

The sides of the sheets 12 and 14 are attached to the wall 10 by meansof strips of double-coated adhesive tape 28 interposed therebetween; theside edges 30 and 32 of the sheets 12 and 14, respectively, being inabutting relationship with one another. It will be noted that themoldings 16 and 18 abut one another as do the moldings 22, 24.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that although thepresent invention is discussed with reference to only two wall-coveringsheets and four moldings, the number of wall-covering sheets andmoldings required to cover a particular wall will be dependent upon thesize of the wall, sheets and moldings.

The wall-covering sheets 12 and 14 are formed in long lengths whichextend from the ceiling 20 to the floor 26 along the wall 10 and arepreferaby made in widths of 3,304,995 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 2 or 3feet. Also, the sheets are preferably made of vinyl plastic materialshaving predominantly vertical patterns thereon to facilitate thematching of the sheets when applied to said wall. However, the sheetsmay be made of any suitable material having any type of pattern thereon.

As seen in FIGURE 2, a channel member 34 having an offset flange portion36 projecting upwardly therefrom is secured to the wall 10 by means of astrip of said doublecoated adhesive tape 28 and is positioned slightlybelow the ceiling 20 and another channel member 38 having an offsetflange portion 40 projecting downwardly therefrom is secured to the wall10 by means of another strip of said double-coated adhesive tape 28 andis positioned slightly above the floor 26; the flanges 36 and 40 forminga groove with respect to the wall 10. The channel members 34 and 38 aremade in lengths which are equal to the width of the wall-covering sheet14, but may be made in a length which is equal to the width of the wall10, and the tape 28 is preferably of the permanent type so as to firmlysecure said channel members to said wall.

The molding 18 is of substantially C-shaped configuration and has aflange or tongue member 42 integral with the top portion thereofprojecting downwardly therefrom, while the bottom portion has a flange43 integral therewith which projects upwardly therefrom to form a recess44. Similarly, the molding 24 has a flange or tongue member 46projecting upwardly from the bottom portion thereof and formedintegrally therewith, while the top portion has an integrally formedflange 47 which projects downwardly therefrom to form a recess 48.

As seen in FIGURES 3 and 4, the top end portion of the sheet 14 isattached to an insertion rod or bar 50 by being wrapped therearound.Another rod or bar 52 (seen in FIGURE 2) has the bottom end portion ofthe sheet 14 attached thereto by being wrapped therearound. Although therods 50 and 52 are illustrated as being rectangular, they may be madehaving any suitable geometrical configuration and may be made ofplastic, wood or any other suitable material, the rods being formed inlengths which are substantially equal to the width of the wall-coveringsheet.

After the sheet 14 has been attached to the rods 50 and 52, as discussedabove, the rods are force fitted into the recesses 44 and 48,respectively, thereby connecting said sheet to said moldings 18 and 24.The molding 18 is then secured to said wall 10 by having the flange 42engage the flange 36 in a tongue and groove arrangement and the molding24 is similarly secured to said wall by having the flange 46 engage theflange 40 in a tongue and groove arrangement. It is thus seen that thesecurement of the moldings 18 and 24 to the wall 10, also serves tosecure the sheet 14 with respect thereto; the sides of said sheet beingattached to said wall -'by means of the strips of double-coated adhesivetape 28, as previously discussed in conjunction with FIGURE 1. Themoldings 16 and 22 and the sheet 12 are secured to the wall 10 in a likemanner.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention is depicted by FIGURE5, wherein the rectangular rod 40 is replaced by a hollow tubular rod40A having a slit 41A therein.

In this embodiment the end portions of the sheet 14 are first rolled upand then inserted into said tube via said slit 41A. The tube 40A is thenforce fitted into the recess 44 in the molding 18.

It is thus seen that I have provided a means and method for applyingwall-coverings and decorative moldings to the walls of a room which canbe accomplished easily and quickly by a lay individual.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, there are many modifications which may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedby the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for covering a wall of a room having a ceiling and a floor,comprising a plurality of first channel members connected to said wallin edge to edge relationship at the top thereof adjacent said ceiling, aplurality of second channel members connected to said Wall in edge toedge relationship at the bottom thereof adjacent said floor, a pluralityof wall-covering sheets, a plurality of moldings, and a plurality ofrods; each of said first channel members having an offset flangeprojecting upwardly therefrom to form a groove with respect to saidwall, each of said second channel members having an offset flangeprojecting downwardly therefrom to form a groove with respect to saidwall, each of said wall-covering sheets having the top end portionthereof attached to a first one of said rods and having the bottom endportion thereof attached to a second one of said rods, first ones ofsaid moldings having substantially C-shaped configurations and secondones of said moldings having substantially C- shaped configurations,each of said first ones of said moldings have a flange member projectingdownwardly from the top portion thereof and having a recess formed atthe bottom portion thereof, each of said second ones of said moldingshaving a flange member projecting upwardly from the bottom portionthereof and having a recess formed at the top portion thereof, saidfirst ones of said rods being force fitted into said recesses in saidfirst ones of said moldings and said second ones of said rods beingforce fitted into said recesses in said second ones of said moldings,and said flanges of said first ones of said moldings engaging saidflanges of said first channel members in tongue and groove relationshipand said flanges of said second ones of said moldings engaging saidflanges of said second channel members in tongue and groove relationshipto connect said first and second ones of said moldings to said first andsecond channel members, respectively, thereby securing said moldings andsaid wall-covering sheets with respect to said wall, said first andsecond channel members being connected to said wall by strips ofdouble-coated adhesive tape interposed therebetween, the side portionsof said wall-covering sheets being secured to said wall 'by other stripsof double-coated adhesive tape interposed therebetween, and the sideedges of said wallcovering sheets abutting one another in edge to edgerelationship.

2. Means for covering the Walls of a room in accordance with claim 1,wherein said rods are rectangular, and the end portions of saidwall-covering sheets are attached to said rectangular rods by beingwrapped therearound.

3. Means for covering the walls of a room in accordance with claim 1,wherein the rods are hollow tubes having a slit therein, and the endportions of said wall-covering sheets are attached to said rods by beingrolled and then inserted therein via said slit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 588,244 8/1897Roberts -392 1,120,333 12/1914 Pinkham 160-328 1,523,014 1/1925 Grings160394 X 2,925,631 2/1960 Larson et a1. 52506 X 3,121,977 2/1964Bersudsky 52-506 X 3,185,207 5/1965 Humble '160-327 X FOREIGN PATENTS296,630 2/ 1917 Germany.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Examiner.

P. M., CAUN, Assistant Examiner.

1. MEANS FOR COVERING A WALL OF A ROOM HAVING A CEILING AND A FLOOR,COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FIRST CHANNEL MEMBERS CONNECTED TO SAID WALLIN EDGE TO EDGE RELATIONSHIP AT THE TOP THEREOF ADJACENT SAID CEILING, APLURALITY OF SECOND CHANNEL MEMBERS CONNECTED TO SAID WALL IN EDGE TOEDGE RELATIONSHIP AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF ADJACENT SAID FLOOR, A PLURALITYOF WALL-COVERING SHEETS, A PLURALITY OF MOLDINGS, AND A PLURALITY OFRODS; EACH OF SAID FIRST CHANNEL MEMBERS HAVING AN OFFSET FLANGEPROJECTING UPWARDLY THEREFROM TO FORM A GROOVE WITH RESPECT TO SAIDWALL, EACH OF SAID SECOND CHANNEL MEMBERS HAVING AN OFFSET FLANGEPROJECTING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM TO FORM A GROOVE WITH RESPECT TO SAIDWALL, EACH OF SAID WALL-COVERING SHEETS HAVING THE TOP END PORTIONTHEREOF ATTACHED TO A FIRST ONE OF SAID RODS AND HAVING THE BOTTOM ENDPORTION THEREOF AT TACHED TO A SECOND ONE OF SAID RODS, FIRST ONES OFSAID MOLDINGS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY C-SHAPED CONFIGURATIONS AND SECONDONES OF SAID MOLDINGS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY CSHAPED CONFIGURATIONS, EACHOF SAID FIRST ONES OF SAID MOLDINGS HAVE A FLANGE MEMBER PROJECTINGDOWNWARDLY FROM THE TOP PORTION THEREOF, AND HAVING A RECESS FORMED ATTHE BOTTOM PORTION THEREOF, EACH OF SAID SECOND ONES OF SAID MOLDINGSHAVING A FLANGE MEMBER PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM PORTIONTHEREOF AND HAVING A RECESS FORMED AT THE TOP PORTION THEREOF, SAIDFIRST ONES OF SAID RODS BEING FORCE FITTED INTO SAID RECESSES IN SAIDFIRST ONES